1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bicycle brakes, and more particularly to the construction of a center-pull type caliper brake.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional construction of a center-pull type caliper brake, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Kokai No. 1991-64193, for example, a pair of brake calipers having brake shoes are pivotably supported independently of each other by a bicycle frame. In this example, one end of a yoke cable is connected to one of the brake calipers, while the other end of the cable is connected to the other brake caliper. Further, this yoke cable, at or adjacent a middle position thereof, is relatively movably engaged through a connecting element with a control cable connected to a brake lever.
According to this construction, the connecting element must be in a middle position transversely of a bicycle in order for the pair of brake shoes to take braking action simultaneously. If the connecting element is even slightly displaced from the middle position of the yoke cable, the two brake shoes do not contact a wheel rim simultaneously. In this case, one of the brake shoes applies a greater braking force than the other. Thus, this prior construction leaves room for improvement.
A development of the above construction is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication Kokai No. 1987-187990. In this example, a control cable extends from a brake lever to one of brake calipers, and a connecting element is provided to be slidable along the control cable. The other brake caliper is connected to the connecting element through a connecting cable. This construction is capable of equalizing a distance from the connecting element to one of the calipers and a distance from the connecting element to the other caliper with ease.
According to this construction, however, the control cable is curved in the region of the connecting element to extend toward one of the calipers. Thus, a tension acts toward one of the calipers, thereby tending to move the connecting element in that direction. As a result, right and left braking forces are not applied simultaneously, impairing an optimal braking result.